Speaking at the opening ceremony, Minister Bartlett described the event as “this very important convention that is setting the stage for discourses in various areas of human development, with a particular emphasis on children.”
Kiwanis is a global organization in over 80 countries with more than half a million members dedicated to improving the world one child, one community at a time, through its mantra “Serving the Children of the World.”
Against this background, Minister Bartlett in his keynote address, said: “There are some little ones that are coming up in whose hands the future of the world rests, and in whose lives the prosperity of planet Earth is going to be predicated.” He anticipated that the discourse at the convention would be heavily focused around service and adding value to service, targeting the planet, people and prosperity.
While the future of planet Earth may look exciting, Mr. Bartlett pointed to the shift in consumption patterns “so clearly there’s an issue there that we have to look at; how do we enable the resources of the world to be able to satisfy the demand of the people of the Earth.”
Pointing to the impact of global warming and the susceptibility of tourism to its disruptions, Minister Bartlett added that:
“We have to become custodians of the management of our environment, and we have to be responsible for sustainably enhancing and building the capacity of planet Earth to continue to be the source of prosperity for the people.”
Minister Bartlett also stressed the need for human beings to live peaceably and productively and charged that “the Kiwanis movement, because of your extensive network across the globe, and your sense of service, has been a key driver in enabling this level of relationship to build capacity for human existence and collaboration.”
Also addressing the convention, Mayor of Montego Bay, Councilor Richard Vernon said the organization’s focus should be on finding solutions for marginalized and under-represented communities. “This gathering is a powerful reminder that we are here to strategize how we can transform one community at a time,” he said.
Executive Director of the Tourism Enhancement Fund, Dr Carey Wallace, identifying some of the Caribbean’s greatest assets as a tourism region, said: “We’re sitting on a wealth of potential and there’s some change that’s required of our people in the region, a lot of it relating to human and spiritual values,” and appealed to the Kiwanians to use their influence to bring about that change.
The 3-day convention is one of the flagship events on the Kiwanis calendar and has attracted some 709 delegates from 19 countries across the USA, Canada, and the Caribbean, comprising professionals, business leaders and entrepreneurs.
SEEN IN IMAGE: Smiles all around as Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett (2nd right) greets Governor of the Eastern Canada and Caribbean District of Kiwanis International, John Chave (3rdleft) during the opening ceremony of the Kiwanis Annual District Convention, at the Montego Bay Convention Centre on Thursday, May 16, 2024. Between them is the Governor’s wife Sue while they are flanked (from left) by Executive Director of the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), Dr Carey Wallace; Mayor of Montego Bay, Councilor Richard Vernon and Chairman of the TEF, Hon Godfrey Dyer who is also a Past President of the Kiwanis International Foundation. – image courtesy of Jamaica Tourism Ministry
